NSCA’s Coaching Podcast

Learn about advocacy topics for collegiate strength and conditioning coaches, and the commitment of the NSCA to provide professional development resources in support of the field. This episode features Mary Beth George, the Chair of the NSCA College Coaches Professional Development Group (PDG). She shares her story in the profession with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Manager, Eric McMahon, including key insights on the NSCA’s ongoing efforts to support athlete wellness and safety, and personal perspectives on being a strength and conditioning coach as a parent. Tune in for an early listen of areas that will be discussed at the College Coaches PDG Meeting next month as part of the 2023 Coaches Conference (Charlotte, NC, January 4-6). Connect with Mary Beth via email at megeorge01@ysu.edu or on Instagram at mbgeorge2569| | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs     You can join the College Coaches PDG Council before the December 15th annual NSCA Volunteer Application deadline.Show Notes“I think the biggest thing that I've learned since being a part of this group has been that there is a whole network of people behind you, rooting for you to do well, and will support you-- whether it is that you're an assistant, just coming up, and it's your first full time position, or if you're someone like me trying to build a program, whatever it might be-- there are other people that have experienced something similar before and they can be a sounding board to help you succeed.” 11:07 “As we get accredited education programs, as we advance our professional communities, as we improve our research and all of our scientific areas, the way you're going to see that is by the students, and young coaches, and young professionals of today showing up at our conferences, and speaking, and being on committees.” 19:47 “When I got in the field, I didn't even think about having a family at the time. I was so devoted to this is my career, and this is what I want to do, and this is what I have to do to make my career work. But then when the kids came along, I had to adjust some of my own beliefs about the job.” 28:22 “Being able to be there and push the student athlete on the physical side, but then also being there to support them mentally. And being there, having an open ear, whatever it may be, just building that relationship with the student athlete to know that, hey, they can come to us and know that we're going to listen to them. And if we're not the right resource, we'll point them in the right direction to have whatever support they need.” 33:20

Hear from two-time Olympian, Meg Stone, the first female strength and conditioning coach to head both men’s and women’s strength programs at a major American university. Stone shares her story from being an elite discus thrower towards an unexpected coaching career, with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Manager, Eric McMahon. She discusses what she believes needs to change to further the strength and conditioning field in support of athlete health and safety. Stone also tells us about what makes the Sport Science Program at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) so unique and beneficial for students.  The episode highlights the ongoing work of the NSCA for the prevention of catastrophic injury and sudden death in sport. You can read more about this topic in a recent NSCA press release: NSCA Reaffirms Position on Appropriate Qualifications for Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches.  Connect with Meg by email at stoneme@etsu.edu| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“But when I talk to them, I talk to them about two things, real important things, communication and relationships, both of which are extremely important in anything that you're going to do. You've got to build a relationship with that head coach and you've got to communicate with him regularly. And only then can what you're doing be successful or can you have an impact.” 13:10 “And then the hook. You will be the only woman in the country doing it and the first woman to do it. And I thought, I like the sound of that. So, really, I just launched myself into it.” 24:45 “Have you got the background to do it? Do you understand exactly what you're doing when you walk into the weight room? And how you are impacting that young person's career by what you're doing? It's a tremendous responsibility to coach, tremendous. And not enough people take that responsibility seriously enough.” 33:01 “I tell them at the very beginning of our orientation meeting, don't come here if you want confirmation on what you already know. Come here with an open mind, willing to learn and see things from a different perspective, or something different. You may get confirmation from that but come in with an open mind, willing to learn.” 41:15

Learn the path towards working as a National Basketball Association (NBA) strength and conditioning coach, from coaching veteran Jesse Wright. Wright is a former President of the National Basketball Strength and Conditioning Association (NBSCA), and talks about how being a part of this group with fellow NBA coaches has improved advocacy and representation for strength and conditioning coaches in the NBA. Wright also shares his research relating to sociology and cultural topics to strength and conditioning. If you missed his presentation at the 2022 NSCA Coaches Conference in San Antonio, TX, Wright recaps this topic as it connects to the coaching experience. Tune in to learn steps towards becoming a more adaptable coach.  Connect with Jesse on Instagram at:@jessekwrightand on Twitter: @wrightstrength|Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscsand Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs   To learn more about strength and conditioning in the NBA, check out the National Basketball Strength and Conditioning Association (NBSCA).   The Intent Is To Grow: A Young Coach Is Guided Along The Path To Becoming A True Professional  Show Notes“And that represented the first kind of corporate partnerships, ever, for the association, which represented some real income, some real funds coming in, in addition to the vendor show that happens at the NBA combine this year. So I say all of that because there's a very real business element to an association like that. There's business operations.” 12:17 “So we're all a product of the people that we grew up around, the geography that we grew up in, and all of the culture that we were exposed to our whole life. And the model then describes what happens when we're presented with something different. How do we react to that?” 19:49 “So maybe it's not written into your role, when you were in that interview process and you applied for G-League strength coach role, you probably never thought that a line item or a bullet on that was to be kind of a regular rebounder for guys. Or to be in an assistant coaches pocket to set screens for a screen and roll drill or something like that.” 39:18

Hear an international perspective on the strength and conditioning field from Marcus Svensson, a Swedish National, who currently works in professional soccer with the Al Arabi Sports Club in the Qatar Stars League. This episode shares insights about access to NSCA resources from outside of North America, training strategies for soccer, and the importance of developing adaptability among strength and conditioning coaches. Tune in to expand your professional horizons as part of a global strength and conditioning community.     You can also email Marcus at johanmarcussvensson@gmail.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“So I thought if I can't make it as a player, I want to maximize and learn as much as I can about the science of soccer and everything else. And there I stayed for seven years. And a great mentor to me and who sadly passed away was Professor Tom Riley. He was probably the pioneer of science and soccer in terms of match analysis, in terms of the physiology of soccer and everything.” 3:23 “I think there's no one size fits all. I think it all depends on the context you work in and again going back to the category you work with. And in some cases it's on context. You need to push a lot more. And in some context you need to hold players back to say, OK, enough is enough. So I think adaptability is the biggest word” 10:18 “So I think I'm not saying we should sprint as fast as the players or run. But if we have, I don't know, if we have a running session, I like to be involved with the players. I like to lead the way to say, OK, we we're doing this. And I think if you come to a new place, that's the one thing you can bond with the players. I'm in the trenches with you together. I would do this with you together. It's going to hurt, yes, but we do it together.” 16:44

Learn about the“Golden Age of Strength and Conditioning”from those who lived it. Former National Basketball Association (NBA) strength and conditioning coach, Chip Sigmon, joins retired longtime National Football League (NFL) strength and conditioning coach, Jerry Palmieri, on a journey back to the 1970s and 1980s. Sigmon and Palmieri share their experiences, mentors, and life influences that put them on a path towards meaningful strength and conditioning careers with the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon. Hear how the book, The Golden Age of Strength and Conditioning was written to feature powerful stories of professional growth from the many who were there. Follow the link to read The Golden Age of Strength and Conditioning. You can also email Chip at chipsigmon@europasports.com and Jerry at jerrypalmieri910@gmail.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“There was a time 10 years ago after the Hornets where I went to work for OrthoCarolina and their strength and conditioning program, a sports performance program, but also assisted with physical therapy, which made me, in essence, a better strength and conditioning coach. It really helped me tremendously with rehab of athletes and so forth.” 16:27 “You have to let the athletes know you care about them. They're going to go to social media. Coach, why aren't we doing this? Why aren't we doing that? But if you really-- the social media doesn't care about them. And if you let the s know that you care about every little thing they do on the court, off the court, on the field, off the field, boy, you've got them.” 24:18 “I'm thinking about themes in the profession that really are timeless. And one thing we talk a lot about today is mentorship, and who we look up to, and who we learn from, and where we get our experience.” 26:35 “That’s what's great, and it’s life, overcoming adversity. And man, it just makes you stronger. It just makes you from a mental, physical, emotional standpoint spiritually.” 36:30

Connor Agnew, Director of Basketball Performance at Appalachian State University, and Scott Caulfield, Director of Strength and Conditioning at Norwich University, joins the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon on this Gatorade Performance Partner Special Episode, highlighting “The Importance of Mentorship and Mental Health” in strength and conditioning. The discussion emphasizes the need for coaches to cope with adversity and rely on trusted mentors along their professional journey. Connect with Connor on Instagram: @strengthcoachconnor or Twitter: @CoachConnorSC | Connect with Scott on Instagram: @coachcaulfield or Twitter: @scottcaulfield |  Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs | To learn more and join the Gatorade Performance Partner Community, visit GatoradePerformancePartner.com. Find additional NSCA resources in the areas of mentorship and mental health, you can stream the NSCA Coaching Podcast and select conference sessions on NSCA.tv.Show Notes“And I think the people that really helped me out the most were the coaches who show me that we're supposed to be having fun as well when this is happening. It's not everyday process where you're supposed to grind and everything's supposed to be uncomfortable. You can have fun. It's a very fun profession overall.” 13:15 “And I think the biggest thing is that athletes understand when you're being genuine and when you're not being genuine. So I think don't be influenced by what you see everybody else posting.” 22:35 “It might just be reaching out to someone that you look up to and you're trying to ask them some questions and just interview them. And maybe, who knows, those conversations can sometimes lead to mentorship. And I think that's the thing I would tell younger people too, is don't be afraid to reach out to people, especially in today's day and age of social media where it really is a good opportunity to reach out.” 27:50 “Mentorship, it's truly a calling of strength and conditioning coaches to connect with your athletes deeper than just reps and sets.” 35:53 “We see them probably more than the head coach will see them, and that's a really big piece. And so we have to make sure that when we're discussing with them any life lessons or coaching them on a daily basis that we're bringing positivity and, really, a growth mindset for them as well, too. And I think sometimes, too, recruiting visits get me a little excited because you get to meet their parents, and you get to meet their family and understand that it's not all just about athletics. It's about people growing overall throughout their own lives and understanding that these parents are trusting us to take care of their kids as much as possible and help them out as much as possible, too.” 44:40

Hear from a more than 30-year strength and conditioning coaching veteran in the sport of rugby, Ashley Jones. He talks to NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about his progression in the field, beginning in 1988 to his current roles as part of the NSCA Rugby Special Interest Group, Awards and Honors Committee, and Certification Committee. Jones provides insight on the important roles of NSCA Committees in supporting the integrity of the coaching profession. Learn more about the expanded roles of strength and conditioning coaches in non-mainstream sports, like Rugby in North America, while also helping to support skill and game development. This episode also includes great lessons on program planning within the team setting and how to emphasize the “human element” in coaching. You can contact Ashley by email at ashley@ashleyjonesstrengthcoach.com| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs  Show Notes"If you're not a member, join. Because it's not just about paying your dues and saying you're a member. Really, it's about the extra access you get to the education materials. When it comes to what qualifies and what doesn't, it goes back to high standards." 20:00 "One thing that will be addressed through the accreditation process is the addition of field work and just reading through the requirements that have been developed and academic programs are currently being vetted for this. It's not just, you do an internship with one program and graduate and you're done. You actually need to have separate experiences, fieldwork experiences, in distinctly different environments." 25:58 "But a new team, you have to sit down with the head coach first and foremost and say, what are you going to emphasize with the playing group that we have? What sort of game do you want to play? Do you want to play a more physical game? Do you want to play a more widespread, a more running game, which obviously will impact on how the strength existing program develops." 42:10 "I'll probably answer that with two, in that first and foremost is, don't take yourself too seriously. But take what you do very seriously." 45:01 "I think that's where I would sort of advise more and more the younger S&C coaches to look at the human elements. And even now that we're pushing more towards a metric driven life as far as strength and conditioning with sports science and all those elements, which is fantastic, don't get me wrong. But it's still making that connection to the human being who happens to be the player on your team, to develop them to be the best they can be on and off the park each and every week." 48:04

Learn about the new NSCA Strongman Special Interest Group (SIG) from strength and conditioning coach, Heidi Campo. Campo talks with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about her path in strength and conditioning that ran from bodybuilding and powerlifting to becoming a strongman competitor. Campo discusses her experiences spending the winter in Iceland at the “Nest of Giants” with four-time World’s Strongest Man, Magnus Ver Magnusson, and how camaraderie in the sport ignited an even stronger passion for her work as a coach. This episode also discusses how strongman is not just for elite competitors, and how training concepts and methods from the sport can be integrated across all levels of athleticism, multiple sports, and for clients of any age.    You can reach out to Heidi on Instagram: @muscleyogi or by email at heidi@coachbta.com| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs   Join the NSCA Strongman Special Interest Group to continue the conversation and learn more.Show Notes“It didn't matter if I was training for the Arnold, or if I was brand new. I was just the same as them. And that's something that really ignited my passion for it, was just the absolute level of camaraderie that I found in the sport.” 7:15 “Strongman is the ultimate functional training. It's going to improve longevity for life. Moving, loading, carrying. We move sideways, front and back. We move things. We're moving forward with heavy things on our back, carrying heavy things. Farmers carries at our side. It's incredibly dynamic.” 18:24 “When they feel that level of accomplishment of something so primal as just picking up a boulder, it does things for their confidence that is I don't have the words for it. It's amazing what it can do for them.” 21:20

Hear from Lacey Jahn, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the United States Marine Corps East School of Infantry. Jahn shares her unusual path into strength and conditioning with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, including stops in curriculum development and working as a lifeguard. Learn more about tactical strength and conditioning jobs, athletic qualities as they relate tactical performance in the military, and the how to approach attending strength and conditioning education events as a young coach. You can reach out to Lacey on Instagram: @laceylyrla | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“However, I've learned that programs also need to account for change. They need to account for stressful life events, poor sleep, fatigue. I have to educate the athlete beyond the program.” 14:01 “We can say broadly that they're going to have to have a base level of aerobic capacity. They're going to have to be able to carry heavy loads for long distances and they're going to have to be able to perform after they get to whatever the destination is. They're going to have to have a base level of strength and they're going need to be able to withstand the impact with load, so landing with a pack on, stepping in a hole with load on your back, things like that, being able to react in situations that are pretty unpredictable.” 16:11 “The old and faithful Super Training by Verkhoshansky and Periodization by Tudor Bompa, they will always have a special place on my bookshelf. A lot of my Xs and Os comes from peer-reviewed literature with the NSCA. I think I use podcasts to get some insight from other coaches' perspective on how they are influencing their athletes or how they're employing the soft skills with their groups.” 19:36

Learn about the emerging field of biomechanics in professional baseball from Georgia Giblin, the Director of Performance Science for the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Giblin shares her professional journey with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, from working with Olympic athletes in Australia to educating coaches on emerging technology tools within MLB. This episode features discussion on the recent growth of athletic performance departments, the current state of sport science in the United States, and the helpful role of strength and conditioning coaches in supporting sport science initiatives. Connect with Georgia on Twitter: @GeorgiaGiblin| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscsShow Notes“That, for me, was probably the most influential kind of part in my career really being embedded within biomechanics and sport science within the Australian Institute of Sport.” 2:15 “Some of them might have background in statistics. Some of them might have a strength training background that have now come into coaching. And I think that's really great for the game that we have this diversity of coaches and people within the game with different backgrounds.” 27:46 “But my take on it would be as a young practitioner coming into the field or if you're starting an internship with the team or something, take the temperature of the room first. So sit back, listen, learn, be open minded, and just absorb it all in before you start to try and make any moves.” 29:50